Power

Death Haunts [7-inch] (2011)

OverDefined

Power is a hardcore band from Bremerton, Wash., who in these seven songs never try to get anyone to move to their town to "hang out," "go all out," or "be theirs ‘til the end of time." Rather, they play raw, mid-tempo hardcore that brings to mind a younger and looser version of Paint It Black.

This 7" kicks off with the title track, "Death Haunts", setting the tone for the rest of the release. The bass is heavily over-driven, but the guitars are refreshingly dialed back on the gain, giving the band a unique tone that is both clean and dirty at the same. The vocalist's rough shout fits nicely overtop, sounding something like a cross between the aforementioned Dan Yemin and Mike Riley, vocalist of Pulling Teeth.

Lyrically, this release starts off dark, reminiscing about what I assume to be is the difficulty involved in an unplanned pregnancy and subsequent abortion. From it: "I killed my family that I never met, I won't raise you on welfare checks, So I took a life, and I try to forget, but the truth is swinging in my face. Death haunts my head, like a ghost." It's unpleasant subject matter, but honest and comes across as confessional and cathartic, rather than a cheap ploy at being "edgy."

The rest of this release follows closely this sound and closer "C.R.E.A.M." is a reference to exactly what you think it is. It features some slick and quick guitar strums underneath an eight-line rant against the evils of the pursuit of money, before a nice grooving breakdown.

Overall, this is a solid release, showcasing an original sound and a whole lot of potential.